Maybe there's a deaf homeless network

The mother of the kid I tutored today had some kind of lunch party and offered me leftovers. So because I am bad at turning down free food, I took a few cucumber sandwiches, swept a handful of raw veggies into a baggie, and grabbed a chocolate croissant. On the way home I realized there was a book at school this girl was holding for me, but I'd forgotten it. So I turned back and found her in the library. We wound up chatting for a while, a long while actually, and I wasn't heading home until after 9pm.

I passed this guy laying on the sidewalk, and saw him move a little under all the blankets. Realizing I had food, I stopped a few feet away so as not to invade his space, and whispered, "Are you still awake?" He half sat up to look at me. "Would you like some food?" I held out a bag to him. He put his hands up, palms facing me, and shook them back and forth, making a noise that kind of sounded like no. I realized he couldn't talk. "You sure? A pastry?" He did it again, so I said good night and kept walking.

Usually the people who decline food are asking for money because they need drugs or booze. This guy seemed clean though. It was kind of weird. Less than a block away, I was crossing the street and there was a guy pushing a shopping cart loaded with stuff in the opposite direction. Not wanting to be too stuck in the rejection, I decided to try again. "Hey, you want some food?" The guy stopped pushing and looked at me. "Yeah?" Once again I offered my bag of food to a homeless guy. "Yeah,"I confirmed. He took it, saying thank you, and balanced it on top of his pile of towels and blankets. His thank you sounded weird, and I realized he was deaf.

Standing outside waiting for the bus, I wondered if the two guys were friends. Kind of hope they are.